


A Certain Sound the Heart Makes

by blameless_nameless



Series: The Jazz AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 1960s, M/M, Musicians, Mutual Pining, Sakamichi no Apollon AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2018-04-01 14:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4022950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blameless_nameless/pseuds/blameless_nameless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo and Kenma’s conversation as they walk home from a gig at a local bar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was talking about doing this for SnK, and I will, but I realized this AU is actually pretty flexible, so I’ll probably do a series of ships.  
> I’ve been working on my ongoing stuff and some new stuff, but this kinda just... happened this morning. So here we are!  
> (Maybe my talent for titles is back? I liiike this one)  
> I'm on [Tumblr!](http://staplesfics.tumblr.com)  
> Talk to me!

They burst out the door of the crowded bar into the brisk air of the night. Ice filled their lungs and snow dusted across their shoulders, clinging to the worn fabric of their coats. Kenma tugged his scarf up to shield his face from the cold wind. As they walked, snow crunched beneath their feet. Kenma’s every step was slow and deliberate, in case he slipped, and he soon fell behind Kuroo, who was eager to get home and escape the cold. He turned and called out to him, waving his trumpet in the air, then stopped to watch Kenma inch toward him, step by step.

“Shouldn’t you case that thing?” Kenma asked, when he was close enough to be heard. “It’s snowing.”

“I’ll clean it when I get back,” Kuroo answered without concern. “Today felt like a travelling show kinda day!”

Not a second later, Kuroo’s lips were pressed into his mouthpiece, sending brassy riffs echoing down the empty street. They enjoyed the sound together for a while before Kuroo lowered his trumpet, holding it loosely in one hand.

“You played really well tonight, Kenma.”

Kenma spread his arms and gave a slight bow.

“No, I mean it. You looked—” Kuroo hesitated, like he was trying to find the right words. “You looked like you were having fun. Like you were starting to let go a bit. That’s what this is all about, after all.”

Kenma just gave a small hum, not entirely sure how to respond.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t stay with them for a few drinks, huh!”

“Well, it would be illegal, so we can’t do much about that.”

“Yeah, but a guy can dream, can’t he?” He paused, a slant smile spreading across his face. “We’ll be able to one day, though – drink at the bar we’re playing.”

“If we’re still pl—”

“When.” The way Kuroo said it – he fully believed they would be together forever. Going off on different paths, growing distant – none of that was possible in his head. “No matter what we do, no matter what happens, we’ll always have jazz. I’ve never seen a pianist like you before, I’m not letting you go without a fight.”

Kenma cast his eyes down to squint at the snow in front of him. “Kuroo…”

“Don’t ‘ _Kuroo_ ’ me. It’s you and me. It always will be.”

Kenma smirked at his shoes. “And what if I get tired of jazz? It was never my genre in the first place. What then?”

“That won’t happen.”

“Like _hell_ it— you pulled me out from classical, I could just as easily go back.”

“That won’t happen. You _can_ play both, y’know.”

“And I _could_ play one.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you could watch yourself play jazz.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kuroo stopped abruptly and grabbed Kenma’s arm. “Kenma, look at me.”

He reluctantly obeyed.

“I’ve been watching you play jazz for _months_. I know what I’m seeing. You love the challenge—don’t give me that look! You do. You love the freedom and the thrill of it, you _know_ you do. You practically _glow_ every time your ass touches that bench.” Kuroo chuckled quietly, then paused for a moment. “This is your place, Kenma. You belong beside me, slamming on the keys.”

Kenma looked up into the black sky out of embarrassment. Kuroo was right, he needed this. Thrived on it. Kuroo gently brushed Kenma’s long hair behind his ears and took his face in a gloved hand. “Jazz is like a drug. Once you’ve had it, you’ll never be whole again without it.”

Kenma let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and reached up to lay one of his hands on Kuroo’s. The thought struck him that Kuroo may be like a drug, too. “You might be right about that.”

Kuroo’s fingers curled a little against Kenma’s cheek, and his face, flushed from the cold, lit up with one of the most sincere smiles Kenma had ever seen. He pushed his fingers into the hair at the nape of Kenma’s neck and slowly leaned in, eyes locked on Kenma’s lips. Then he froze, eyes wide, and a new, darker flush spreading across his skin. Kenma’s heart stopped, and Kuroo pulled away gently, gripping his trumpet tightly, then set to rubbing the back of his neck.

“E-uh, anyway, yeah. My house is,” he waved his trumpet vaguely in the direction of his house.

“I know, I’ve been there.”

“Ah—? Yeah, I just. Well. Get home safe.”

“Mm, you too. Practice tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see you then.”

It hurt them both to part ways, even if it was only for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about it, and I don't have any idea why I decided this should be set in the winter. At all. ?? Okay, brain, okay.


	2. [ANNOUNCEMENT]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm trash lololololololololollololl

Hey, guys! Alright, so here's the deal:

I'm stepping away from fanfic, prob for good. Thing is, I still like all the projects I'd been working on. So--and this is a bit selfish--I don't really want them to end? Aaahhhh.

This one, for example. It works as a one-shot. But a long time ago, I put it in my Jazz AU series as a statement of my intention to like... Write a jazz AU series. HAH. Uh. And then I didn't touch it so... Yikes.

But I love this AU so so so so much. It was inspired by Sakamichi no Apollon/Kids on the Slope and, with the AU being so broad, it lends itself really well to something like hq, and LOOK. I'm gonna be honest, the potential this AU has still gets me excited. But I'm really not involved in fandom at all at this point, and I'm working on original stuff anyway, so I know as well as you probably do that I won't ever get around to making this AU everything I want it to be.

That's the dilemma for all my ongoing fics, actually. So, I decided to give them away. I'm in the process of putting up an announcement on all the fics up for the taking and uh. It'll be gr9!

So, the plan: Find at least one new co-author (the Jazz AU in particular would be fun as a collaborative project imho). Chat a bit about it. Make them co-author/s. Step away. Yay!

Once all that happens, if you still want me around for behind-the-scenes collab or beta-reading or whatever, I'm down for that. You'll be doing me a huge favor so I'd Die For You, pretty much. UM.

If you're interested in taking over this or any of my other fics, send me a message! @staplesfics on Tumblr!


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